American Workers Oppose Free Trade Agreements That Outsource Jobs

Ben Smith, Politico
AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka -- normally a steadfast ally of President Obama and congressional Democrats -- aired his differences with the administration in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill last week and reiterated his complaints on MSNBC today, criticizing the administration over pending free trade agreements and the President's own spending plan.
"The Colombian trade bill, for instance. it's outrageous. Fifty-one labor leaders were assinated last year. They either lacked the will or they lacked the ability to protect trade unions," said Trumka on Colombia.
"The Korean trade bill -- which is going to cost this country another 150-160 thousand jobs," he added. "When you say to somebody that the Korean trade agreement is gonna create 75,000 jobs, that's like saying the score of the Superbowl was 'Pittsburgh 25.' When you net it out, we're going to lose jobs."
Trumka also said that the President's budget plan had "too much cuts, not enough revenue."
"The labor movement is an independent voice for workers. We're always going to try to fight and voice our concerns over what's happening and to try to prioritze kitchen table issues," he told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell.
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